Interiors by Cheryll: Freeze old bananas and butter wrappers

In my career, I’m constantly challenged and encouraged to learn new things and find better ways to decorate and dress, eat, keep fit and live.

Every week on the At Home with Cheryll and Sam national radio show, the best of the best in the lifestyle field join us to share their wisdom and expertise — how fabulous is that?

This week, I thought I would share a few of our favourite ideas that we brought home and have adopted as our own.

The first was a creative, money-saving idea from my friend Denis Flanagan, past gardener to the Queen and always fabulous outdoor expert and landscaper extraordinaire.

Denis shared the hot designer trend of using tropical plants to fill our patio containers this year, so I headed to my local greenhouse and picked up some ferns and majestic palms.

This also saved a fortune because this is the time of year when greenhouses are clearing out their tropicals to make room for annuals, perennials and other outdoor varieties.

With tropicals loaded in my cart, I went to the garden section for some low-light blooms that match light and water requirements of the tropicals. This is important to remember when designing your containers. I opted for some stunning all-white varieties. The containers are now all planted and I think they )look fabulous.

Now to the kitchen: I loved the money-saving and incredibly convenient idea of keeping butter wrappers in the freezer to use for greasing pans from our guest, Jennifer Sygo, superfood and healthy living expert. I used to simply toss them in the trash and now they are the perfect way to grease pans and loaf tins.

The next tip I adopted as my own was to chop up old bananas, put them in a freezer bag and keep them for banana bread and smoothies, both family favourites. Though I always kept whole bananas in the freezer, I didn’t think to peel and chop them, so much more convenient than peeling a frozen banana.

I love iced coffee but what I didn’t like was the watered-down version you get when you add ice. Now I freeze leftover coffee in ice-cube trays to use to chill my iced lattes.

I have long, very thick hair that loves to be highly conditioned; now I regularly use coconut oil in my hair and on my skin to soften and condition.

It’s inexpensive and works brilliantly to keep hair and skin shiny, smooth and luxurious. On my ensuite vanity I have a lovely white ceramic lidded bowl filled with this miracle oil, as recommended by our fun radio guest and hair guru, Ken Paves.

I can’t wait for next month to look back at all the new ideas we brought home to help us live fabulously.